Why Squid Jigs Have a Cloth-Covered Body

Having sneaked up close they shoot
out two long tentacles to ensnare it, then wrap their other eight
tentacles around it. Only then do they start to nibble away at it.

And this is why manufacturers of quality jigs bond a cloth finish to
the surface of their lures to give the squid something grippy to hang on
to.

Grapnel Hooks

Having engulfed the jig in this way, the squid will now find itself
impaled on the double circle of needle-sharp, but barbless, prongs - and
if you don't give it any slack line it should stay that way until you
lift it out of the water.

Stabilising Side Feathers

These keep the jig properly aligned and stable, and help to give it its
shrimp-like action when given the appropriate jerking action by the
angler.

Weighted Keel

These work along with the side feathers to keep the jig the right way up, and to improve tracking when drawn through the water.

These jigs are available in several sizes and with keels of various
weights, which is normally marked on them in grams.

Useful information
if you're intending to cast the jig with a spinning outfit, as it
governs the rate at which the lure will sink and hence the depth at
which it operates on the retrieve.

But not all of these jigs have external keels.

Those that don't are weighted internally - often very
slow sinkers - and are ideal for use paternoster-style on droppers, and
fished as a normal vertical jigging rig.

For more information on any of these lures, just click on the image that interests you.

Octopus Jigs

These heavily weighted jigs are designed to get down quickly to where the octopi lurk - on the bottom.

Grapnel hooks are again used to accommodate the octopus's similar
embracing style of attack.

The lure shown here is fluorescent, which makes it ideal for fishing for these creatures after dark or in murky waters.

Combine your octopus jig with a squid jig as shown here, and you could get yourself a cuttlefish.

But Why Bother?

After all, you're not going to get an epic struggle out of either a squid or an octopus. But along with cuttlefish, they're very tasty to eat.